Why is a carboy the preferred fermentation container? I've done beer in plastic buckets before, and seen a lot of other people do it too. Is there something different about wine that necessitates a carboy?

Why is a carboy the preferred fermentation container? I've done beer in plastic buckets before, and seen a lot of other people do it too. Is there something different about wine that necessitates a carboy?

Wine can be be in a bucket for primary, but secondary of wine is usually longer than a beer is. A carboy limits the headspace drastically more due to the bottleneck compared to a bucket. Thus is better for the long term storage of wine to prevent oxidation.